One in two CHSLD rooms in Quebec still does not have a air conditioner, reports an association of retirees, which still salutes a clear improvement in the situation.
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“A dozen years ago, only 8% of CHSLD rooms had an air conditioner. Now, we are made at 50%, ”says Paul-René Roy, the president of the Quebec association of retirees from the public and parapublic sectors (AQRP).
This organization indicates that in 2024, it was 41% of the rooms that were provided with such a device. From 2019 to 2024, the AQRP notes an improvement of 19.4%.
This increase is explained by the fact that for two years, all the residents of CHSLD who request it must have an air conditioner installed, and this for free, explains Mr. Roy.
“My mother returned [au CHSLD Paul-Lizotte, dans Montréal-Nord] At the beginning of April and with all the papers we had to fill out, we could already make this request. A good morning, I arrived and everything was installed, it did not take time, “assured the Journal Hélène Deslauriers, a 65 -year -old woman met around the center.
CHSLD Paul-Lizotte, in Montreal-Nord
Photo Zoé Arcand
She regularly comes to visit her 95-year-old mother in this CHSLD under the aegis of the Ciusss of Nord-de-l’île where the air is fresh, “even in corridors, where we often wear small jackets,” she said, satisfied.
In general, installation deadlines for air-conditioned air systems in CHSLD do not exceed two weeks, according to the figures that Paul-René Roy transmitted to the Journal. Some take care of it in less than 24 hours or carry out all the facilities in May.
Heat wave
Public health precisely recommends that the population visits their relatives of the golden age during episodes of extreme heat like the one we know currently, and to be vigilant in the face of signs of dehydration, such as headaches, cramps, fatigue and confusion.
“The heat wave has a very negative influence on the health of the elders. It is considered that in the CHSLDs, the population is very vulnerable, ”insists the president of the AQRP.
The latter explains that his organization has achieved the objective that she had set for this subject, “that is to say that people who want to have one can have one”. Because, despite the heat, “it is not everyone who is comfortable with air conditioning,” he continues.
Unequal results
However, he points out that some CHSLDs have “older electrical systems” and therefore “not have the capacity to support the addition of an air conditioner”.
Some CIUSSS have more air-conditioned rooms than others, such as the Center-Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal. In its senior care establishments, each of the 1014 rooms is air -conditioned, since their CHSLDs have access to a central air conditioning system. However, a resident can apply for an individual system, if he wishes.
In the Ciusss du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, only 25% of the rooms have an air conditioner.
“The vast majority of air conditioning requests are accepted and the installation is carried out within 24 to 48 hours,” said the Ciusss du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, explaining that from the spring, residents and their families are warned that they can request the installation of an air conditioner.
When the electrical capacity of the premises is limited, prioritization is made according to clinical or healthcare criteria, adds this CIUSSS.
– With Olivier Faucher
